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Nissan explores thought control for cars

Nissan is working on some interesting experiments for the next generation of connected cars. But they won't just be connected to the Internet or to each other--they'll be connected to your brain.

When the driver thinks about turning left, the car would prepare for the move, center itself in the lane and being braking before completing the turn. Nissan says the aim is to ensure that our roads are as safe as possible. No word on what happens when a driver thinks about punching the guy in the next lane.

Nissan is working on the project with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPEL) in Switzerland.

Scientists' research on Brain Machine Interface systems already allows a person who uses a wheelchair to control the chair just by thought transference. The next stage is to adapt it for a car, according to Nissan.

Apparently the concentration level needed to do this is high. The companies are working on using statistical analysis to predict a driver's intentions, lessening the concentration needed.

The system will use eye movements, brain-activity measurements and scans of the surrounding environments, along with the car's own sensors, to predict what the driver might do next.